


Medicine and Surgery for Healing a Heart

by nursal1060



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Big Brother Uchiha Itachi, Brain Surgery, Brother Feels, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Car Accidents, Caretaking, Child Uchiha Sasuke, Daily Routines, Developing Friendships, Doctor Itachi, Doctor Shisui, Domestic, Domestic Boyfriends, Domestic Fluff, Driving, Emergency Medical Technicians, Fainting, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, First Kiss, First Meetings, Flirting, Forehead Kisses, Geniuses, Good Uchiha Itachi, Hurt/Comfort, ItaShi, Itachi is a brother and father figure, M/M, Male Friendship, Medical, Medical Conditions, Medical Examination, Medical Jargon, Medical Procedures, No Uchiha Massacre, POV Uchiha Itachi, Prodigies, Protective Older Brothers, Protective Uchiha Itachi, Protective Uchiha Sasuke, Romantic Friendship, Sasuke is adorable, ShiIta, ShisuIta Week 2019, Small Talk, Stress Relief, Uchiha Itachi Being a Good Brother, Uchiha Itachi Has Issues, Uchiha Itachi-centric, doctor/doctor - Freeform, itachi whump, konoha hospital, radiology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24085429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nursal1060/pseuds/nursal1060
Summary: Itachi is raising his little brother Sasuke after an accident that killed their parents. Everything is stressful as his life becomes full of work and time away from his brother. But then he meets a guy named Shisui at work (in the medical field) and it gives Itachi hope.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Shisui
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE: The age gap between Itachi and Sasuke is much more pronounced here: Itachi is 21 and Sasuke is 7. Shisui is still 3-4 years older than Itachi, as is canon in the anime.
> 
> So...writing block left me out of commission for almost 6 months, I got 1 fic published in that entire time. Then, out of nowhere, I saw some cute ItaShi fanart along with a medical fic idea...and my brain was like WRITE!! This was the result XD I wanted to write some Naruto/Boruto anime fanfics, but I haven't watched religiously since the Pain vs Naruto arc, even though I know what happens after. So I made this a modern setting fic and made it cute and domestic! I hope you enjoy it :D

It was 4am, the house was still dark when Itachi heard his pager buzzing. Moving quietly to keep from waking his little brother next to him, he picked up his pager. It was a call from the ICU. He dialed the number provided in the page to ask what it was about. 

“Doctor Uchiha, we need your expertise on a patient with extensive brain damage from a suspected overdose. Their situation is deteriorating rapidly, we cannot wait until morning for a procedure.” 

With a sigh, Itachi slipped out of bed and went to get his surgeon scrubs on. He was hoping to have the day off and finally walk his brother to school at 8 in the morning. Clearly, he couldn't do that today. Dressing quickly and looking moderately decent for an emergency shift, he turned his attention to his little brother. 

Itachi still took care to make him a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs, tomato jam, and toast, some of which he also made for himself along with a thermos mug of coffee. Covering the food, then placing a set of emergency house keys and a handwritten note, he went back into their room to kiss Sasuke good morning. Sasuke rolled a little in his sleep, but didn't wake, not that Itachi expected him to at this hour. Closing the apartment door and locking it, Itachi went to his car and got ready to drive to his job as a trauma surgeon, specializing in brain surgery.

Itachi Uchiha was a genius from the start. He skipped grades and aced standardized exams throughout his childhood and was accepted into medical school as a young teenager. It was that time that his parents decided to have another child, who they named Sasuke. Sasuke had been the joy of his life from day one, and Itachi made time for his brother between exams and residencies.

Of course, things didn't last. Shortly after Itachi turned 19 and completed his final residency, his parents got into a fatal car crash with his brother in the backseat of the car. His parents and the driver who hit them were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, but Sasuke escaped relatively unharmed, due to the collision being head-on. 

The relief was bittersweet, as Itachi had full custody of his 5 year old (at the time) brother, and he had to take over the finances and work full time. It was a balancing act everyday, and it was exhausting for Itachi, who was still trying to adjust 2 years after the incident. Luckily, Sasuke was quite independent when getting from school to home, so Itachi felt a little better about his work schedule. Still, he wished he had more time to spend with his brother and just relax sometimes.

Parking his car in the hospital employees parking lot, Itachi chugged the rest of his black coffee as he rushed into the building towards the ICU. Brain surgeries typically took several hours so he would have to get started right away.

\------------------

Sasuke came home from school at around 2 pm with homework and some leftovers of his school lunch in his backpack. He walked home and made sure no one was following before he unlocked the house door and quickly locking it once he was inside. 

“Nii-San!!” Sasuke frowned when he realized Itachi still wasn't home yet. Sasuke sat at the low table in their living room and took out his homework. He ate a leftover apple while doing his basic multiplication and reading homework. 

Sasuke thought aloud once he finished, “Wonder if Nii-San can come to my musical recital...but he's busy...I shouldn't bother him...but I want him to come so badly…”

\------------

Itachi finished the emergency surgery by 8:30 am, finding out it was cerebral hemorrhage. Of course, he jumped into several more surgeries, including inserting a shunt for a child with megacephaly and a mild craniotomy for a patient with brain cancer. Looking at the clock when he finally removed his surgery robes, it was almost 1:30 in the afternoon. 

“I'm going on break, I'll be back in an hour.” The nurses nodded, silently blushing as they let their overworked doctor leave. In the break room, Itachi didn't bother eating anything. He simply sat at the table and proceeded to take a nap. 

At 2:25 he awoke, still tired and now famished. He had no time though, he had to go to the radiology department and look at brain x-rays for the next hour...then he could go home for the night. 

‘Do it for Sasuke’, he told himself, hauling himself down the hospital wing. He was greeted promptly by the resident doctor as he arrived to examine x-rays. He probably got through 7 images of a brain with clear abnormalities before he felt faint.

“Doctor Uchiha, you're looking pale. Is everything alright?”

“Of...course. Please proceed with the explanation of anomalies, Resident Izuna.” She continued to talk, and her words clearly became incoherent. The light felt too bright. Everything went dark and silent a moment later.

\------------

It was 6pm and Sasuke was restless. Itachi was typically home by now, or he called at least to let him know he was coming with takeout. Sasuke has studied, played video games, and raised the kitchen for snacks. He felt a little lonely now. Sure, Itachi had to work, but he felt left out sometimes.

The landline began buzzing, so Sasuke went to the kitchen. He pushed a kitchen chair to the counter, stood on the chair, then took the phone from the receiver. He knew Itachi didn't like him standing on chairs, but he wasn't tall enough to reach the phone on his own yet.

“Hello?”

“Hi, this is Konoha Medical Center. Are you from the family of Doctor Itachi Uchiha?”

“Yeah, Itachi’s my brother! I think he works at Konoha Hospital, he works with brains. He's supposed to be home soon!”

“Ah, yes...this is about him, are your parents home?”

“No.”

“Do you know when they'll be home.”

“Never, they've been gone for two years, Itachi takes care of me now!”

“Oh my...I'm sorry to hear that...well, how old are you?”

“I'm almost eight, in a few months! So I'm actually seven and a half.”

“Well...I guess I should tell you the truth, since he's your big brother. Doctor Itachi...he got sick at work today.”

“What do you mean? Itachi isn't sick, he helps people who are sick!”

“He does, and he's a great doctor. But he got sick at work. We don't know when he'll wake up. But when he does, we'll have him call and talk to you.” 

“No...why is Itachi sick? He was okay this morning.”

“Yes he was, but he got sick at work.” Sasuke started sniffling and sobbing. The voice on the other end changed, and a young voice similar to Itachi’s took over. 

“Hey, Itachi’s in good hands. I'll make sure he's all better so he can come home tonight.”

“You...you mean it?”

“I'll do my best! You can trust in me, I'll make sure he gets better.”

\-------------

Doctor Shisui Uchiha finished the call with Itachi’s kin and then quickly went to check on the doctor who fainted at work. Shisui worked in the ER department as a doctor for emergency cases. Like Itachi, Shisui was also a child prodigy who finished his residency around the same age. He was several years older and knew well how burnout affected people.

Shisui had read the case file: Dr. Itachi Uchiha had fainted in the radiology lab with Resident Radiologist Izuna on duty. He was transferred to the ER after it became clear that he hadn't simply passed out. His blood pressure and heart rate were also reading as low. In addition, Shisui had noticed quickly that Itachi had hypoglycemia, meaning he likely hadn't eaten in about 8 hours minimum. Looking over his patient's caseload for that day, Shisui could say the fainting episode was probably a vasovagal syncope, a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure leading to fainting, often in reaction to a stressful trigger.

Itachi began to stir and Shisui took a seat besides him as he came to. Itachi’s eyes opened and he began to notice the machine monitoring his vitals and the IV drip in his arm. When his eyes met Shisui’s, the older doctor smiled.

“Gave us quite a scare, fainting like that. You worried everyone, Dr. Itachi.”

Itachi squinted and seemed to recognize him, “You’re…?”

“Shisui Uchiha, ironically we share the same last name. I’ve been looking after you for a few hours.”

Itachi’s eyes widened, “Oh my gosh, what time is it??! No...no, I have to go home, my little brother is waiting for me.” He began to move to stand, which Shisui had to actively stop.

“Woah, calm down. Can’t have you fainting again. We called your home, your brother answered, he knows you’ll be late.”

The news didn’t soothe Itachi, “I’m supposed to be worrying about him, I’m terrified about his well being right now. Has he eaten? Did he do his homework? Did he get hurt when I was not home.”

“Easy, easy, you sound like you’re overworking yourself to death.” Once Itachi sat down again, Shisui got the hospital phone and called Sasuke again. Passing off the phone to Itachi, he saw the other man overwhelmed with relief.

“Sasuke? Oh thank god, I’m so sorry. I wanted to get back as soon as possible and I got hurt. Yeah, I think I may have ‘hit my head’ or something, so now a doctor is making sure I’m okay. Mmm...mmhm...that’s great...wish I could've been there, I can check your homework over later. I’ll be back as soon as I can, I’m going to be discharged now.”

Shisui corrected him, “You can be discharged after some tests, however, you are not allowed to drive.” But Shisui quickly added, “Luckily for you, my shift is over and I took the train today. If you allow me, I could drive you home. I know you must be worried sick about your brother.”

“It’d mean a huge deal to me.” Itachi spoke to Sasuke again, “I’ll be home soon, remember, no opening the door for strangers. Love you too.”

\------------------

The drive home was a little strange. Itachi was still lightheaded so Shisui had to hold his arm all the way to his car. He had never let another person drive the car, though no one ever offered to drive him anywhere either. 

“Sorry...it’s a little messy.” Itachi felt a little self conscious about his car, it was second-hand from his mom and it had the average fix-ins of a young physician: cereal bar wrappers, coffee cups, stray papers, plastic take out bags. 

“It’s no problem, we can’t be perfect at everything.” While Shisui spoke only when he needed to and smiled at him, Itachi knew already that Shisui empathized with him. He was proven right as Shisui spoke and began driving, “Heard you graduated at 19, that’s impressive. I also finished medical rotations right as I turned 20. While balancing work and home life is hard for anyone, can only imagine it’s harder when you’re younger.”

“...how old are you?”

“24! Wait...25! I forget, it’s no fun remembering your birthday when you’re an adult, it’s just another number to remind you how old you’ve gotten.”

Itachi smiled, “That I can agree with.” The two began talking about things as Itachi directed them towards his apartment. 

Eventually, the topic came up, “Well, your brother did say something about your parents. Said they’re never coming home.”

“Well, he’s right. They got into a head on collision with my brother in the backseat, he was the only survivor. Luckily, he doesn’t remember any of the crash or the hospital stay, so I don’t tell him that he was in the car. I tell him that he was at home with me when mom and dad passed, I don’t want him to ever feel like he was responsible, because he wasn’t.”

“I’m sorry, I know you’ve probably heard that a million times. I’ve definitely had it much easier, moved here after rotations and call my parents every now and then. I bet having a brother adds to the stress.”

“Well I never signed up to be a parent. But I did to be a big brother, so I’m going to be the best big brother I can be.” Itachi cut the conversation there by pointing out his designated parking spot in front of the apartment. 

Shisui helped Itachi stand up and walked with him up the apartment stairs to the second floor, keeping a firm grip on his arm to make sure he didn’t fall. Itachi scrambled for his house key from his scrub pocket, unlocking the door in front of him. 


	2. Chapter 2

Sasuke nearly bolted towards the door as he heard the click of the door unlocking. His brother was home. He wasn’t expecting someone else to be with him.

“Itachi!” Sasuke ignored the other person and ran right for his brother, hugging him as best as he could without tackling him. Itachi wrapped his free arm around his little brother and leaned in to hold him back. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too. I wanted to come home so much earlier. I’m sorry.” The clock read 9:15pm, usually when Sasuke would be preparing for bed. 

The other man suggested, “Hey, Itachi, how about you take a seat? Your brother and I can worry about food.”

“Shisui, you shouldn’t…”

“I want to, I can’t leave knowing you and your brother are still hungry. Alright, move with me, to the couch.” Shisui helped move the other doctor to the sofa in the dining room. Sasuke ran to get the living room throw blanket. 

Once Itachi sat, Sasuke wrapped him the blanket and made it clear, “Stay! Dinner will be ready.” Shisui chuckled at Sasuke’s poutiness. 

“Let’s see what you have in the fridge. Sasuke was it? Let’s make some dinner.” 

“Yeah!” He ran after the person, eying the badge on his hip, “Sheeee-swi? Is that your name?”

Shisui laughed, “Shisui. I’ve been looking after your brother all day, so let’s look after him some more.” They went through the fridge and decided quickly, “Do you like curry rice?”

“Yeah! We only have it on weekends, but we can have it tonight too!” Shisui pulled out all the items he’d need and went around the kitchen, making himself comfortable. The house was immaculate, different than Itachi’s car. Shisui could already guess that Sasuke was the reason for the spotlessness.

“Are you putting carrots in? Mmm...I don’t like carrots.” Sasuke pouted as he saw Shisui peeling them.

“I am, but I’ll make sure they’re tasty.” Shisui laughed a bit watching Sasuke light up. He blanched the carrots, knowing the curry taste would cover the carrot taste. Bringing the curry to a boil, Shisui reheated the white rice from the fridge. 

Sasuke ran to the living room, “Nii-san! Oh...nii-san is asleep, Shisui-san.”

Shisui called, “We need to wake him up! He needs to eat.” Sasuke jumped onto the sofa and shook his brother, who had fallen asleep. He had come to alertness just as Shisui was spooning the hot curry over the white rice. 

Sasuke patted his brother’s face, “Nii-san, you’re so sleepy.”

Itachi sat up and ruffled his brother’s hair, “It’s been a long day. You did your homework right?” Sasuke nodded, then hopped off of the couch to help Shisui carry the plates to the dining room. Itachi took his while on the couch while Shisui and Sasuke sat on the floor at the low-table with their plates.

Sasuke commented before Itachi could, “It tastes really good!” Sasuke ate with fervor devouring the plate of curry..

Itachi smiled, “It is...I have to learn your recipe, it has so much flavor.” Itachi’s face looked less heavy and tired after sleep and a meal. Shisui watched him constantly look over and make sure Sasuke ate cleanly, occasionally wiping his face at Sasuke’s protest.

Sasuke finished his first, and while Shisui got him another plate of curry, the young boy told Itachi about his day, “Science class was easy, you helped me memorize the bones of the bodies and the types of native animals. Sakura-chan and I did a great job at answering in our table group. Naruto-chan was confused. Same with reading, I’m reading at a 7th grade level, says Professor Iruka! Recess was fun, Naruto-chan beat me at tag, but I managed to tag out Shikamaru-chan and Shino-kun when we started playing dodgeball. Math class is easy too, I can handle the multiplication, but check my homework Nii-san. History was boringest...it wasn’t hard though.”

Itachi listened, “Mmm...I assume you;’re going to want Naruto and Sakura to come over for homework and video games tomorrow after school?”

Sasuke nodded vigorously, “Yeah! Can you make those brownie bites? Sakura-chan and Naruto-chan love them. I do too...but so do they!”

Itachi chuckled and put his own plate down, “It depends on work, kiddo.” Sasuke pouted visibly.

Shisui popped in, handed Sasuke’s plate back to him and commented, “I doubt they’ll call him into work after he ‘got sick’ today. He needs to rest.”

Itachi shuffled, asking, “But...will they really just let me take time off?”

Shisui called his department head and cleared it right away, “Dr. Shisui Uchiha of the ER team speaking. Yes, I was in charge of Dr. Itachi’s care today. He definitely needs a few days to rest, we don’t want a repeat incident, he is our best brain surgeon after all.” He winked playfully at Itachi, causing the other doctor to blush. “Yes. Yes. Please pass this information to his department, Dr. Itachi needs at least 3 days rest, you'll have to page the other brain surgeons in the meanwhile. Yes, it's doctor's order on my behalf. Alright, thank you.”

Sasuke gasped and jumped, “You can do that?! You can get Nii-san off work, Shi-san?”

Shisui smiled, “Well...once in a while. He really needs to rest his head and spend some time with you after all.” Sasuke gasped and nearly tackled his brother into a bear hug. Itachi held onto his brother.

Sasuke gasped and said, “If you're free tomorrow, Nii-San, you can come to my choir recital! I've been practicing so hard. I really want you to come.” Shisui listened in to the brothers talk, having more of a parent-child relationship than a brotherly one. Shisui could also see a faint scar just below Sasuke’s bangs, receding backwards on his skull, a reminder that the boy was all Itachi had left. 

Itachi looked at the clock, “Sasuke. It's late, it's time to get into your pajamas.” Sasuke hopped off the couch and ran to get ready for bed. “Shisui, you should stay here tonight. The buses will likely be delayed, I don't want you waiting in the dark and cold.”

Shisui gave him a smile, saying, “As long as I can borrow clothes to sleep in, that's fine by me.” 

\-----

Itachi woke up at 6:30 to the sound of the alarm clock buzzing. He rarely got to hear it go off, he was so used to waking up to his pager. He clicked the off button and went to brush his teeth. While he was rinsing his mouth, he heard the fellow doctor in the doorway.

“How do you manage to look so clean, even when you just wake up?” Shisui was grinning and leaning against the doorframe, wearing a band t-shirt and shorts like Itachi.

Itachu continued washing his face, saying, “Hey, you look pretty good in the morning too.” Letting Shisui into the bathroom, he scooted closer to the door and focused on combing his hair. Itachy had been tying his hair back so often that he needed to seriously comb out his locks. Shisui brushed with a new spare toothbrush. If anyone was just to look on them, they’d look like brothers or best friends.

“You’re staying for breakfast right?”

“I could. I start my shift at 9 today.”

“Great.” Itachi pulled out a clean towel for Shisui, “I’m sure you’ll want a shower. Just hurry, Sasuke typically starts getting ready at 7 latest.”

Shisui smiled and said, “Thanks.” To Itachi’s absolute surprise, Shisui learned closer to him. His face was bright red and he wasn’t able to react as Shisui kissed him square on the forehead. With a wink, he closed the bathroom door, leaving the younger doctor standing outside of the bathroom completely stunned.

‘W-What was that for?’ Itachi brushed his forehead and his cheeks got ever redder as he tried to process how fast his heart was racing.


End file.
